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Veterinary Sciences
Special Issues
Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Tick-Borne Diseases
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Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Tick-Borne Diseases

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 6805

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ioan Liviu Mitrea

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases & Animal Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 11464 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: veterinary medicine; parasitology; ticks; tick-borne diseases; cystic echinococcosis; neosporosis; trichinellosis; diagnostic; serology; PCR; treatment; control
Prof. Dr. Mariana Ionita

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases & Animal Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 11464 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: parasitology; ticks; tick-borne pathogens; tick-borne diseases; vector-borne diseases; molecular biology; animal parasitic diseases; treatment; control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce the launch of a new Special Issue of Veterinary Sciences on a currently highly relevant topic for both animal and public health: “Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Tick-Borne Diseases”.

Ticks are obligatory temporary parasitic hematophagous arthropods distributed on all continents of the world, from the subarctic zone to the Equator. They are one of the major vector groups transmitting the widest range of pathogens, including causative agents of numerous currently emerging and/or re-emerging diseases in animals and humans.

The transmission of tick-borne pathogens is dependent on tick biology, their populations’ abundance and seasonal dynamics, correlated with geographical distribution and the zonal geo-climatic characteristics of habitats.

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are currently recognized as major health risks, not only in tropical and subtropical regions but also in temperate regions, where climate change may create favorable conditions for the emergence and re-emergence of TBDs.

Recent dynamic environmental changes, including climate changes, together with increasing mobility of humans, animal transport, tourism and other socio-economic factors have induced essential changes in both the distribution of ticks and the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases.

In this context, current approaches to the ecology, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of TBDs in various geographic areas may provide advanced, evidence-based knowledge, representing valuable tools for developing sustainable surveillance and control programs.

By this Special Issue, we welcome submissions of original research papers, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses from scientists around the world on this important topic in human and animal medicine.

Prof. Dr. Ioan Liviu Mitrea
Prof. Dr. Mariana Ionita
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ticks
  • tick-borne pathogens
  • tick-borne diseases
  • epidemiology
  • diagnosis
  • treatment
  • control and prevention

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2429 KiB  
Article
Biological Control of Hyalomma Ticks in Cattle by Fungal Isolates
by Mohammad Ahmad Wadaan, Baharullah Khattak, Aneela Riaz, Mubbashir Hussain, Muhammad Jamil Khan, Fozia Fozia, Anisa Iftikhar, Ijaz Ahmad, Muhammad Farooq Khan, Almohannad Baabbad and Ziaullah
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(12), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10120684 - 1 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1883
Abstract
Ticks pose a major threat to cattle health and production in Pakistan because they transmit pathogens of diseases like Babesiosis and Theileriosis. Hyalomma spp., found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, are especially problematic. This study explored biocontrol of Hyalomma spp. using spore-free fungal [...] Read more.
Ticks pose a major threat to cattle health and production in Pakistan because they transmit pathogens of diseases like Babesiosis and Theileriosis. Hyalomma spp., found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, are especially problematic. This study explored biocontrol of Hyalomma spp. using spore-free fungal culture filtrates collected from dairy farm soil in Kohat, Pakistan. Three fungal species of the genera Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Penicillium were isolated, and their filtrates were tested against tick adults and larvae. Filtrate concentrations were prepared at different strengths. Data were taken after the exposure of adults and larvae ticks to various concentrations of the fungal filtrates. Results indicated that at 100% concentration, all fungal filtrates induced 100% mortality in adults and larvae. Decreasing filtrate concentration lowered tick mortality. The lowest concentration caused the least mortality. The effect was time- and dose-dependent. In conclusion, spore-free fungal culture filtrates can provide biocontrol of Hyalomma spp. in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Further research should explore the active compounds causing mortality and optimal application methods. The process outlined here provides a natural biocontrol alternative to chemical pesticides to reduce tick infestations and associated cattle diseases in Pakistan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Tick-Borne Diseases)
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14 pages, 1603 KiB  
Article
Argas persicus and Carios vespertilionis Ticks Infesting Ducks, Domestic Fowls and Bats in Pakistan: First Report on Molecular Survey and Phylogenetic Position of Borrelia anserina
by Hafsa Zahid, Abdulaziz Alouffi, Mashal M. Almutairi, Muhammad Ateeq, Tetsuya Tanaka, Shun-Chung Chang, Chien-Chin Chen and Abid Ali
Vet. Sci. 2023, 10(10), 628; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10100628 - 20 Oct 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2464
Abstract
Argasid ticks have the vectorial potential for transmitting disease-causing pathogens to avian hosts, resulting in economic losses that may not be fully estimated. Borrelia species are the responsible agents of borreliosis in poultry, animals and humans. Our previous studies have reported a high [...] Read more.
Argasid ticks have the vectorial potential for transmitting disease-causing pathogens to avian hosts, resulting in economic losses that may not be fully estimated. Borrelia species are the responsible agents of borreliosis in poultry, animals and humans. Our previous studies have reported a high prevalence of Argas persicus infesting domestic fowls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. However, molecular screening and genetic characterization of Borrelia spp. in A. persicus have been neglected in Pakistan. In this study, we focused on the molecular epidemiology and genetic characterization of Borrelia spp. associated with A. persicus ticks infesting domestic fowls and ducks, and Carios vespertilionis infesting bats in selected districts of KP. Overall, 1818 ticks, including females (415; 23%), males (345; 19%), nymphs (475; 26%) and larvae (583; 32%), were collected from 27 locations in nine districts (Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda, Chitral, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Bajaur and Hangu) from domestic fowls, ducks and their shelters, and bats. A subset of 197 ticks was selected for DNA extraction and PCR to amplify fragments of the cytochrome c oxidase (cox) gene for ticks and flagellin B (flaB) for the detection and genetic characterization of associated Borrelia spp. Among these, only Borrelia anserina DNA was detected in 40 ticks (27.2%) of different life stages, where highest prevalence was found in female ticks (18; 45%), followed by nymphs (12; 30%), larvae (7; 17.5%) and males (3; 7.5%). Tick infestation in shelters (1081; 77%) was higher than on hosts (323; 23%). The resultant cox amplicons of A. persicus showed 100% identity with the same species reported from Pakistan, China, Iran, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Egypt and C. vespertilionis show 100% identity with the species reported from Pakistan, China, Japan, Kenya, Vietnam, Spain, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Hungry, and clustered with the aforementioned species in the phylogenetic tree. The obtained Borrelia sequences showed 100% identity with B. anserina and revealed a close resemblance to the relapsing fever group and clustered in a monophyletic clade with B. anserina from India, Iran and Brazil in a phylogenetic tree. These results establish the first molecular characterization of B. anserina in A. persicus infesting domestic fowls and ducks in the region, as well as their shelters. To effectively control zoonotic consequences, country-wide surveillance research should be encouraged to screen soft ticks infesting various birds for associated pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Tick-Borne Diseases)
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Review

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16 pages, 874 KiB  
Review
Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Clinico-Pathological Findings, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Management
by Andreea Monica Bogdan, Ioan Liviu Mitrea and Mariana Ionita
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(6), 269; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11060269 - 13 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1396
Abstract
Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) is a tick-borne disease affecting horses worldwide, caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The disease ranges from non-specific clinical signs to fatal outcomes. This paper aimed to analyze EGA cases reported in peer-reviewed journals, particularly on clinico-pathological findings, diagnosis, and [...] Read more.
Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) is a tick-borne disease affecting horses worldwide, caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The disease ranges from non-specific clinical signs to fatal outcomes. This paper aimed to analyze EGA cases reported in peer-reviewed journals, particularly on clinico-pathological findings, diagnosis, and therapeutic management. Overall, 189 clinical cases from 31 publications were included in the study. Extensive symptomatology for the EGA cases was reported, of which mostly was fever (90.30%), followed by limb edema (48.51%), anorexia (41.79%), depression (32.84%), icterus (22.39%), ataxia (17.91), tachycardia (16.42%), and lethargy (15.67%). Laboratory tests revealed thrombocytopenia (90.32%), anemia (75%), decreased hematocrit (70.59%), leukopenia (55.88%), lymphopenia (58.14%), and neutropenia (41.67%) as the most common hematological abnormalities. For a subset of tested animals, hyperbilirubinemia (20/29), hyperfibrinogenemia (13/15), and hyponatremia (10/10) were also reported. The diagnosis was established by microscopic identification of morulae (in 153 cases), and/or PCR (120 cases), isolation (1 case), or serology (56 cases). For treatment, oxytetracycline was used in the majority (52.24%) of EGA cases, but recovery without antibiotherapy (10.34%) was also noted. In conclusion, the variety of clinical and pathological findings and the challenging therapeutic approaches reported suggest that EGA should be included in the differential diagnosis when fever occurs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Tick-Borne Diseases)
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